Just outside of town, laying in the drenched grass were the freshly mutilated corpses of some Nightshade members and horses. Their weapons were bloody, and their bodies were cut open left in the open, such a fate for traitors. But normally they would die, now everything just bled and hung out. They howled, wailed, and cried. The horses were mournfully neighing as they struggled to get up on their hooves.

Allen’s face remained still, with no scowl of rage, no twist of disgust, nothing but a straight uninterested face. As they begged for death with tears spilling from their eyes and blood pooling from their wounds.

“ I’m guessing that was our escort…we need to help them,” Gran covered her mouth with her wrinkled hands.

“ An-anything to make them stop…just-there’s gotta be a doctor…somewhere,” Helsing’s face became a mix of pale and green as the disgusting vomit taste boiled in his throat.

“ Someone’ll come for them. We need to keep moving,” Allen stepped over the beggars and ventured deeper into the woods. Gran and Helsing followed close behind.

As they continued to walk through the forest, the screams still echoing throughout the darkest misty corners of the woods. Thick squishy mud weighed down their feet as the rain finally began to lighten up leaving the air colder than before causing the group to shiver. Someone will help them..yeah we just gotta get going. The blacksmith thought to himself as he tuned out their distant pleas.

Finally they saw a sheltered cave up ahead and immediately entered the damp cave so they could finally clean their heavy shoes. The group settled in the cave, and Allen and Helsing together built a fire. After they all submitted to their stomach’s demands Allen left the cave to hunt for food. While the rest of the travelers warmed up by the fire in silence.

The Boogeyman soon returned with dead rabbits and began cooking the rabbits on a stick over the blazing fire. He sprinkled some herbs on the sizzling meat that made a rich aroma. The smell made Helsing’s stomach grumble impatiently, and caused him to drool like a hungry puppy.

When the rabbits were finally ready the Nightmare Lord passed each of the roasted rabbits to them. The awkward melancholy tension between everyone got stronger with every passing second and every chew.

Gran cleared her throat to finally break the tense silence that engulfed the group. Helsing looked at Gran as Allen continued to eat his rabbit, not even glancing at the elder.

“ Why is Vita after you? Well I can understand for a few reasons, but none of the evil gods have been in this much trouble before,” She finally asked.

“ I’m not perfect, by her definition. So I need to cut out like a weed, unfortunately not the ones you can smoke. Vita has always wanted to make a perfect world. A world without pain, disease, war, and death. A harmonious perfect little world, but as you can see it only sounds good on paper. Nameless never wanted that for their creations that’s why we never got in trouble, but ever since Nameless well..left. Vita has been scheming for this, but Azrail has always wanted to keep the balance Nameless established,” he replied with an uninterested tone.

“ Is he dead?” Helsing asked through mouthfuls of food.

“ Nah, Nameless was only exiled from the gods. He still remains as a Spirit of Light Magic, and I know he started the Exorcist Organization. It’s next to impossible to get rid of him easily.”

“ I heard the Exorcists are powerful. One came to our village one time because the village hates us for our curse,” the blacksmith stated.

“ So they hired one to help us. Of course, it failed though,” Gran continued as she and Helsing tossed the remainder of their food into the fire causing flecks of ember to fly into the air.

“ By the way, who was that angel from the bar? He looked similar to you and that other boy in the family portrait. Is he your brother? What happened to your family anyway? Were you guys some sort of immortal mages, vampires, maybe some minor gods…or something else?” Helsing asked while the fire crackled away at his offering to it.

“ I bet you were Bone Traders,” Gran teased as she tore into what was left of her rabbit.

“ I grew up in the time of the old world. I was born in the wonderful year of 1984. As for my family…I assume you mean birth family. We were just normal humans living in the modern world, well they were normal. I wasn’t in their eyes. That family only kept me alive to use me and beat me. All because my dearest mother wanted to have some fun. I got fed up one night when I was 13 and,” he chuckled and grinned from ear to ear, “ I killed them. I took them down. One by one. Shoving knives right through their delicate throats. I then gutted them like fish being prepared to be eaten, and I sat them at the dinner table for one last family dinner. Then I burned that cursed house, but the foundations remained. After I died some psychotic serial killer fans rebuilt the house and made it better in my name. It makes for a great hideout though. The kitchen is beautiful with a nice backsplash. But yes that angel was my broth…half brother, Harris. He was somewhat nice, but not nice enough. Oh, how he squealed as the flames burned away the lad’s flesh as I shoved the knife deeper in his neck.”

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He began to feel nauseous imagining all of what Allen just described. Helsing desperately wanted to flee far away from Allen and never look back. Yet he sat there petrified to move for he was horrified to his very core, hearing the vulgar deeds Allen did and all with a wide smile on his face. His tail curled up close to Helsing showing his tenseness.

After a quick glance he noticed Gran felt the same way. When Allen stood up they both flinched, grabbing the nearest weapon, ready to attack. Allen noticed but only gave them a sly smile with a cunning glimmer in his eye, as he climbed a nearby tree to keep watch.

They relaxed, and began making their bed areas to sleep in the cold cave by the warm blazing fire. Helsing remained awake as he watched the amber flames dance on the logs that fueled it. I don’t trust Allen. I can’t trust him. Not anymore at least. Not after, he did that. Helsing thought to himself then the spines on his tail stood on end as a hiss crept into his mind.

You’ve killed and eaten plenty of people. Growled a deep voice in his head that wasn’t his own. Helsing tensed up but relaxed after inhaling and exhaling for a few minutes. He slowly drifted off to sleep using the crackles of the fire to soothe him to sleep.

As the sun rose to warm the land from the freezing storm from the previous night. Helsing awoke to the sounds of a low growl ringing in his head, he shot up and looked around in case the growl was real. He blinked his eyes a few times, noticing the growl was silencing. The beast is getting closer..soon I’ll be going on nightly rampages then wake up in the middle of nowhere...I hope I can keep it down long enough. He saw Allen sitting on the same branch he sat on last night blankly gazing into the distance with his dark cloak wrapped around him.

Helsing followed his gaze, seeing nor sensing anything out of the ordinary. He gazed back up at the Boogeyman who got down from the branch.

“ Wake up yer Gran. We need to get goin’ to the capital city,” Allen ordered as he began packing everything. Helsing obeyed and woke up Gran then put out the smoldering fire as they all set off on their journey.

The trio traveled through the woods and they eventually made it to the edge of a paved road. They began adding to the army of old tracks that made their mark in the road.

The adventurers mindlessly trailed on, only resting every now and then to rest their aching feet. Boredom crept up half of the traveling party, but the blacksmith was exploring freely around the trail, writing down observations and chatting to any traveler that also used the road.

By the gods, it’s beautiful here. It’s amazing being away from the village and their judgment and taunting. I had no idea I would like this so much.

Helsing, Gran, and Allen all sat on the road resting once again and then the sound of wing beats and soft muttering were heard coming close to the group. Allen stood to his feet, folding his hands behind his back.

The noise got closer and an angel with sandy curly hair and a dagger in her hand approached and landed inches away from Allen.

He stood there unafraid with a small smile on his face. Another woman landed behind Allen snapping her fingers repeatedly until a small turquoise-violet fire appeared in each hand. The woman looked exactly like the woman that was screaming for help in the nightmare Helsing had.

The blacksmith and his Gran stood at the ready to attack, but Allen signaled for them to stand down. So they obediently relaxed as they stepped back a bit.

“ Norah, and Gabriella. The dynamic duo, the arse wiper of Vita and Vita’s personal pet. I’m so honored you’ve blessed me with your-”

“ Shut your mouth Black Beast. It’s unwise of you and your companions to be out in broad daylight ready for the taking. We could capture you right now and save the Dream world from your filth. While you’re so powerless.” Gabriella pointed the dagger at his face as the end fizzed with small sparks of lightning. Helsing noticed that Allen tensed up immediately when the lightning began to spark.

“ Listen here lass, I don’t need magic to defeat ye. And if I was out in broad daylight then why did it take you so unbelievably long to find me?” Allen unsheathed his two rapier swords with dark sharp tentacles wrapped around the handle and the bottom of the blades. The tentacles on one of the rapier’s were more jagged and sharp while the other was more smooth and flowy. He glanced behind him, locking eyes with Norah, seeing the rage that burned in her eyes.

“ Oh how the mighty have fallen,” he grinned as the three broke into a brawl.

“ What’re ye standin’ around for?! Get goin’!” Allen ordered,

Gran and Helsing immediately took off further down the road, getting far away from the clashing sounds of swords and screams.

Eventually, Allen had Norah pinned to the ground with both of his rapiers at her throat and his foot was on her chest while Gabriella was knocked out cold. She stared up at him in horror with tears slowly streaming down her face.

“ Taurus, please spare me. I have so much left to do. The world isn’t perfect yet..I need to fix it! This is my destiny,” Norah begged.

“ I’m Allen. Taurus is still encased in stone thanks to you. I should kill you very slowly and very painfully for that. I could end all of our troubles right now with one little cut,” he pressed the tips of his rapiers against her skin. “ But I won’t ruin a plan that took decades to make because of petty emotions. So I offer this to ye. Come with us, you can be free from Vita and having to torture people. You know you aren’t happy living that way.”

“ I would never betray Vita! I would rather die!” She spat in his face.

“ Wish I could fulfill that lass but,” he got off of her and sheathed the rapiers as he wiped the spit off. “ Plans, plans so many plans that all depend on ye,” he walked onto the road grinning wide and proud as he vanished within the shadow of a passing cloud.

“ May Vita have mercy on you, even though you don’t deserve it,” Norah mumbled softly.